The World is the Worst it Could be

Oswald Chambers, in "Baffled to Fight Better", alludes to the fact that the world is the worst it could be. 

I pondered that throughout the night and this AM, considering. I suppose that I agree. If the world was worse, God would not have a presence here at all, those many near-misses we experience would happen, and we would be, in all actuality, in Hell.
God's presence, however horrible our experiences may be, allow that we have a refuge, a comforter. Without His presence, Hell would be all about us. We would have no safety, no comfort. Desolation.

I consider the battles I have fought, the times I have called upon God, and think of how absolutely wretched it would be to NOT have the option to call Him. 
When I was first going to college, my anxiety was terrible. I was the person who left classes suddenly for no reason because my terror at being around people was so strong I could not take it anymore. 

Those challenges were met with the strength of God. I cannot even tell you the number of times I asked God to give me the strength to make it to school, to give me the strength to serve Him----and the number of times I received from His Holy and Wondrous Self the strength and power to do so.  That time in my life was a time of Hell, and one of the strongest fights I have had to fight.

And years later, looking back at that battle that raged for years, I feel blessed. The world was a dark and horrible place then, and often is now....yet I was not alone in my fight. God was there, keeping the world from being a place of actual Hell.  He gave light in the darkness of my life, creating a path to walk. He was willing, with the whisper of a prayer, to envelope me with His love and give me His strength to fight on---to kill the monster tormenting me. Yes, anxiety is still an issue, but has never been that strong again. The monster is beat to the point of being an irritation at most times, never the Goliath I was losing to then.

I am blessed to have faced that time. I can be, and was, a comfort to many who were afraid. I am open enough about this time that I have had people contact me for help, and I consider that my hard-fought battle was worth it to be able to share the grace God gave me. Oswald Chambers says to share what God has done for you so others may know that He does things for people...and I think that is good advice.
Every person's battle is different, but God is certainly strong enough to be there for every person's battle. He is the Perfect Father, and will not abandon His children when they cry out. A battle may last--such as an illness---but He will not leave us alone while we fight the good fight.